Tag: Mudra

5182. M32 Cycle path (212)

Mudra and Saor, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Mudra and Saor, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

This narrow section of the M32 Cycle path wall that is difficult to photograph, even with a wide angle capability, which is exacerbated when there is a collaboration from two writers who like to spread themselves out a bit. To add to the difficulties, the light conditions are particularly challenging in this section – I think I did ok though.

Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

To the left of this NTS rhapsody in blue is a classy collection of letters by Mudra, spelling MUDRA, as you would expect. Mudra specialises in using a different design for each letter in his work, and then bringing them all together through clever colour selection and some style element that is unique to the artist.

Saor, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Saor, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

The right-hand side of the collaborative wall is by Saor, whose work is always as tight as it is creative. His goofy monster character is the centrepiece to the letters SAOR, which is typically rather cryptic. This is a wonderful piece and part of a really great collaboration.

5151. Elton Street (18)

Mudra and Peggy, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Mudra and Peggy, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

Counterintuitively, sunny days are a bit of a nightmare for street art photographers. The nature of urban art is that much of it is surrounded by tall buildings, street and park trees, telegraph poles, lampposts and road signs, all of which cast dramatic shadows when the sun shines. I try not to post too many pictures with shadows, but sometimes it is inevitable, and my impatience to share a piece trumps my desire to return to the spot to re-photograph it when conditions are more favourable. That happened with this wonderful collaboration between Mudra and Peggy.

Mudra and Peggy, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Mudra and Peggy, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

This is what I would term a true collaboration, where the whole piece is a mash-up of elements from both artists, and it becomes difficult to be certain who painted which bits. The highly designed piece has adopted the paint jam ‘house colour palette’ used by their fellow artists who painted other boards on the same day. The flower and eye elements are almost certainly by Peggy, and if you look closely you can see Mudra’s name split into two parts. This is a fine creative piece and very much in keeping with the Elton Street gallery.

4997. St Werburghs tunnel (348)

Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

Here we have yet another fine piece from Mudra, in what seems to be a rapid-fire series of work from him. It is satisfying, as an onlooker, to watch as he develops and improves his style and to observe his creativity and imagination. To see his development, I have linked to his gallery, which is well worth a quick look.

Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

This piece, at the end of the tunnel, follows his template style of letters and character, mashed up into a single coherent work. The letters are connected through a common colour palette, but their shape, design and size are somewhat varied. The letters are quite concealed, although easy to find if you know what you are looking for. The little ‘d’ is probably the easiest. The character in the middle of the piece, on this occasion, is not a substitute letter, but instead just a bit of fun breaking up the piece. You’ve got to love the little floating had. There is a reference to recreational drugs and a bit of trippyness about the piece – but I am way too conventional to know about such things. More to come soon, I have no doubt.

4959. Brunel Way (188)

Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023

I suspect that I begin quite a few posts featuring Mudra’s work with the words, ‘Mudra is absolutely smashing it at the moment’  and that is probably because Mudra is absolutely smashing it at the moment.

Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023

His signature pieces, usually painted on black buffed walls, have been coming thick and fast over the last year, and this one features a walking character, smoking a cigarette, alongside the letters NTS, the crew he paints with. Mudra’s work is always easy on the eye, smooth curvy lines and soft fills – there is something quite laid back about their presentation. Many more to come in 2023 I’m sure.

4910. M32 Cycle path (192)

Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2022
Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2022

Quick one today – visiting relatives in Cornwall today, and a very late night last night, returning home from a Boxing Day football match in London – I am quite tired. Mudra has been firing on all cylinders this year, and you can see the progress of his work over the last few years in this updated gallery of his work.

Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2022
Mudra, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, December 2022

This is another fine example of his work, with a nicely thought out colour scheme and character face between the M and U of MUDRA. I am very much looking forward to what he can share with us in the new year ahead.

4897. Cumberland Basin

Mudra and Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2022
Mudra and Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2022

This wonderful collaboration reminds me of an early moving picture of an early Disney Mickey Mouse cartoon – some of you may know what I am imagining, some of you might think I have lost the plot. No matter. The colourful collaboration is by Mudra and Peggy and an absolute joy.

Mudra and Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2022
Mudra and Peggy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2022

The character is by Mudra and looks like it is a letter (B?) walking and whistling and so gull of animation, it looks like it could walk right off the wall. The character is holding a beautiful flower stem and flower, painted by the up-and-coming Peggy. The whole thing is set on a black background which helps with giving the character definition and purpose. This is a very welcome and joyous pairing; long may they continue to collaborate.

4864. M32 spot (152)

Mudra and Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Mudra and Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

This is a fine and rather unexpected collaborative wall from Mudra and Saor on a hoarding that I really love. This pair, are members of the very strong NTS crew, and when they get together to paint, the results are usually pretty awesome.

Mudra, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Mudra, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

Mudra has been super-busy painting walls lately, and this is another in a series of outstanding pieces of graffiti writing. He has his own unique style where each letter of the word is painted in an individual format, although the whole thing hangs together really well. His pieces remind me of the Monty Python sketch about the theory of the Brontosaurus, which is that they are thin at one end, thick in the middle and thin at the other end. Great colours and a nice character skull face in the middle of the piece.

Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022
Saor, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

Saor has been smashing it recently too, although, to be fair, he had been smashing it for rather a long time, prior to changing his moniker to Saor. This is a highly designed piece with smatterings of Epok and Mr Penfold in there. Spelling out SAOR, the piece contains a lovely toothy monster, which makes a return appearance from time to time. A wonderfully presented collaboration.

4793. Cumberland Basin

Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

Mudra is an artist whose work simply goes from strength to strength. His writing in carefully selected colour palettes has a carefully designed feel to it. His letters tend to follow a format not dissimilar to SkyHigh’s in that each one is painted in its own distinct font, and the whole thing cobbled together seamlessly, which is a clever approach to graffiti writing.

Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022

The colours work extremely well and are particularly effective against the grey buffed wall, and the house, between the D and R, is an interesting feature. How far the artist has come is a relatively short space of time.

4787. Dean Lane skate park (535)

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Watching Mudra develop over the past couple of years has been one of the great pleasures in recording the street art scene in Bristol. From his early colourful portraits to his sophisticated style of writing, he has upped his game time and again and continues to improve with every piece.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022

The writing, in a magnificent palette of blue and yellow, spells out Mudra with a spectrum of styles and sizes for the letters, but somehow all very recognisably Mudra’s work. The monkey/house character in the middle of the piece is a bonus, and serves to add interest, without which the piece wouldn’t look complete. I love the yellow wedge too, a lovely effect.

4624. Upfest 2022 (39)

Decay and Mudra, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Decay and Mudra, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

It is always great to see Decay painting in Bristol, too much of a rarity these days, and even better when he teams up with Mudra. Although their styles are totally different, they have managed to work well together on this hoarding to divide the space up and allow their pieces to ‘talk to each other.

Decay and Mudra, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Decay and Mudra, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

To the left are some fine initials, DK, bound together by the irrepressible ‘Chuck’, who is very much missed in the city. To the right, Mudra has spelled out his name with an eclectic mix of letter styles, reminiscent of SkyHigh’s approach to writing. The black background brings out the best in both pieces on this collaborative board. Nice one.